GF Red Velvet Valentines' Cookies and A Giveaway!

GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED! 

I find that people generally fall into one of two camps when it comes to Valentine’s Day: they either love the holiday or they hate it.

I tend to fall into the “love it” category, but really I love any holiday that gives me an excuse to make festive treats & decorate custom sugar cookies.  (Seriously, I just spent the better part of three days working on these cookies!)

The same thing seems true, in my experience, when it comes to red velvet cake: people either love it or they dislike it. I admit, I’m not crazy about red velvet cake, but I did really enjoy the red velvet macarons I made last year.

A couple of years ago, I saw red velvet cut out cookies on the esteemed Sugar Belle’s blog, and I filed the idea away for a future Valentine’s season. This year, I decided to give the recipe a try & convert it to a Gluten Free option.  I love my regular sugar cookie recipe, but it’s always fun to add a new variety to the arsenal.

Part of the reason I was intrigued with Callye’s recipe is that it used a couple unusual-to-me ingredients: Red Velvet Emulsion & Buttermilk Powder . I don’t always have the greatest success finding out-of-the-ordinary ingredients in my local grocery stores, but luckily I was able to find both at Walmart (though Amazon.com also carries them).

Along with imparting that particular red velvet flavor, the red velvet emulsion also contains red coloring, which then meant I didn’t have to add any additional red to the dough. And I am very intrigued by the buttermilk powder--I look forward to experimenting with adding it to other baked goods too…

While I was shopping for the red velvet emulsion, I also discovered Cream Cheese Emulsion. Since red velvet cake is traditionally paired with cream cheese frosting (and the cream cheese emulsion was free from oil--royal icing’s enemy), it seemed serendipitous to make a cream cheese flavored royal icing for the decorations. Though a word of caution, a little goes a long way when it comes to cream cheese emulsion!

And this brings me to a giveaway! In the 4+ years that I’ve been posting, I’ve never done a giveaway. But I’d like to start doing a few from time to time...  This particular giveaway will feature some of the red velvet cookies you see in this post and some of my classic Valentine’s decorated sugar cookies.

For a chance to win, leave a comment telling me your favorite Valentine treat.  And please make sure to include your email address so that I can contact you, should you be the winner! The contest will run through midnight central time on Sunday, February 9, 2014. Because this giveaway is completely sponsored (i.e. funded) by me, it is only open to residents of the United States.

Giveaway is now closed!  Thanks to all who entered! 

Quilted/Tufted Cookie Tutorial
(inspired by Sugar Belle  and Sweet Ambs)

Use a Food Writer Pen and a ruler to draw diagonal lines 0.5” apart from each other. Then, draw lines perpendicular to the original ones to form a grid system. (I started by drawing a line down the center of the heart & using that as a guide with my clear ruler and my edible food marker.)

Use 20 second icing & a #1 tip to begin filling in the squares, making sure that no two squares are touching in any manner (see above photo). I usually try to fill in just inside the lines. Allow to dry for 20ish minutes to create a 3D look.

Go back and begin filling in the squares again (see photo above) Allow to dry again for 20ish minutes.
Fill in the remaining squares & allow to dry 20ish minutes if adding edible pearls (using a tweezers make this process easiest), or dry completely if piping dots in a contrasting color.

Further Technique Resources: 

For the (above) wet-on-wet flower technique or the (below) brush embroidery technique (or video here), visit Sweet Ambs.

For the piped lace designs, visit Sugar Belle and Bake at 350.

GF Red Velvet Cut Out Cookies
Adapted from Sugar Belle 

8 oz / 2 sticks / 1 cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature
8 oz / 2 cups Confectioners Sugar
1 egg, room temperature
2 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste 
1 Tbl Lorann Red Velvet Emulsion 
2 Tbl Milk
1.5 oz / 1/2 c Hershey’s Cocoa Powder
23 g  / 1/4 c Buttermilk Powder
13.8 oz / 3 1/4 c GF Flour {I used Jeanne's GF AP Mix; or use regular AP if not GF}
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
1/2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
additional tapioca starch for dusting (optional) 

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the unsalted butter & the confectioners sugar on low speed until they are well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. 
2. Add the egg, vanilla, red velvet emulsion and milk. Mix on low speed to combine & scrape down the sides of the bowl. 
3. Meanwhile, sift together the dry ingredients (cocoa, buttermilk powder, GF flour, baking powder, and fine grain sea salt) in a separate bowl. 
4. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl & mix on low speed.  When the dry ingredients are halfway combined, add the vinegar and continue to mix until a dough forms.  If the dough is very sticky, add an extra 1/4 c GF flour, if the dough is still crumbly, add an additional Tbl of milk.  (note, mine required extra flour, but the original recipe did not call for any additional flour). 
5. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 
6. Preheat the oven to 400 F and line baking sheet with parchment paper. 
7. Roll out the chilled dough either between two pieces of parchment, or on surface well dusted a tapioca starch .
8. Cut out shapes & place on the prepared baking sheets. 
9. Bake at 400 for 8 to 10 minutes, depending on the size of the cutouts. 
10. Cool completely before decorating with Almond Cream Cheese Royal Icing (recipe follows). 

Almond Cream Cheese Royal Icing

2# confectioners sugar

2.25 oz Meringue Powder

3/4 c Warm Water

3/4 tsp Imitation Almond Extract **see note below**

1 tsp Cream Cheese Emulsion 

1. In the bowl of a very clean stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the confectioners sugar and meringue powder.  Mix on low speed to combine. 
2. With the machine running, add the warm water. Increase the speed to medium until all the confectioners sugar/meringue powder is combined. Then increase the speed to high & continue mixing for 5 additional minutes (or until very stiff and glossy).  
3. Add the imitation almond extract and the cream cheese emulsion.  Mix on medium speed to combine.  
4. Color the icing as desired and thin to the desired consistency for decorating. Remember that colors containing lots of reds/pinks/blacks will continue to develop color & should be made at least 12 hours before use for proper color development.
5. Store the icing in a clean, airtight container in the refrigerator. Top with a wet paper towel to keep the surface of the icing from drying out. 

**Note: Why use imitation almond extract? Real almond extract uses almond oil & oil is an enemy of royal icing, so imitation almond extract (which does not contain almond oil) is required.**

note: this post may contain affiliate links. 

Cinnamon Chip Scones (GF)

No matter whether it was Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter, I grew up with the tradition of having a special holiday breakfast.  My mom would make an egg casserole (which we called “egg bake” in the upper midwest) and cinnamon rolls, and there would also be fruit & juice. Mom would set the table with a festive tablecloth, the crystal juice glasses that otherwise lived in the china cabinet, sometimes the fine china, but always with holiday napkins. After my dad said the blessing, we would clink glasses, toast to whatever holiday it happened to be, and then, of course, eat!

With my insatiable sweet tooth, my personal favorite part was the Pillsbury cinnamon rolls that Mom would bake in a round cake pan. As most siblings do, my sisters and I would all try to vie for the middle roll which usually had the most frosting. I still have a particular fondness, even to this day, for freshly baked Pillsbury cinnamon rolls.

As a somewhat newly married couple, my husband and I are still developing our own traditions. One of the the traditions I’m trying to pass into our “micro-family” is the holiday breakfast concept. Of course there are a few adaptations my husband and I like to make (coffee is a must and sometimes we mix a little bubbly with the juice), but I still dearly wish to include my beloved cinnamon rolls.  Once I started living mostly gluten free, though, suddenly the options changed.  There are very few gluten free options in our small-ish town, unless you want to make things yourself.

I’ve done a fair amount of gluten free baking & cooking these days, but yeasted products still are a bit of a mystery to me. I’m well versed in how bread flour works in artisan breads & I just haven’t mastered how to mimic those items in gluten free versions. Last weekend, I attempted to adapt a cinnamon roll recipe to be gluten free, but the results were not good. The texture was all off & so was the flavor.... I guess it may take a lot more testing before I am confident in adapted gluten filled yeast products to be gluten free.

Luckily, scones ARE easily adapted to be gluten free.  This particular cinnamon chip variation tastes surprisingly a lot like my favorite pillsbury cinnamon rolls.  I added a bit of leftover pumpkin puree to the dough.  Rather than tasting “pumpkin-y,” the puree just adds a bit of extra moisture & helps deepen the complexity of the flavors.  Once the glaze is added they became a perfect substitution--in fact, I couldn’t stop eating my test batch! I had to put the leftovers in the freezer to curb myself.  Since scones fit in the non-yeasted “quickbread” category of baking, they don’t require rising time! I love recipes that save time during busy holidays. These scones absolutely will be making an appearance on this year’s Thanksgiving brunch table.

I hope that wherever you are this Thanksgiving and holiday season, you are able to spend time laughing and giving thanks with friends & family, and that you take time to make & eat good food. Perhaps you can start your own holiday breakfast tradition.

Cinnamon Chip Scones (GF) 
yields 12 to 16 scones, depending on the size

Scones
4 oz / 1 stick Unsalted butter, cold
2/3 c Whole Milk + 1 tsp Lemon Juice (or substitute Buttermilk )
8.5 oz / 2 c Jeanne’s Gluten Free AP Flour Mix (or substitute regular AP flour, if not gluten free) {LINK} 
1.85 oz / 1/4 c Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Cinnamon
120 g / 1/2 c Cinnamon Chips
122 g / 1/2 c Pumpkin Puree 
Tapioca Starch, for dusting

Glaze
Confectioners’ Sugar
Milk 

1. Grate the cold butter, using the large grate part of a box grater, onto a piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper. Place the grated butter into the freezer while measuring & preparing the remaining ingredients. If not using buttermilk, mix the whole milk with the lemon juice & let stand at room temp. 
2. Measure the remaining ingredients. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper & set aside. 
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, soda, powder, salt & cinnamon.  Add the frozen butter pieces & toss quickly with your hands to combine.  Break up any large clumps.  Add the cinnamon chips & briefly toss to combine. 
4. In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk with the pumpkin puree. Add the liquid to the dry ingredients & quickly mix with your hands until the dry ingredients are just incorporated. Be careful not to overwork the dough or let the heat from your hands melt all the butter.  
5. Dust the clean counter or board with additional tapioca starch (or AP flour, if not gluten free).  Pat the dough out, adding tapioca starch on top of the dough & onto your hands, until the dough is approximately an inch tall.  Use a small round cutter (or any shape you like) to cut out scones.  Place the cut scones onto the prepared baking sheets. Carefully gather the scraps & re-pat them out, repeating the process until the dough is all used.  (Note: re-rolling works well with the gluten free dough, but if regular flour is used, the re-rolled scones may be a bit tougher.) Alternately, you can use a large cookie scoop to make drop scones by scooping the scone dough out of the bowl & portioning it directly onto the sheet pan. 
6. Use a try pastry brush to brush off any excess tapioca starch.  Bake both pans in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, rotating the pans & swapping the top and bottom pans halfway through.  The scones are done when they are lightly brown & the cinnamon chips begin to caramelize.  
7. Remove the pans from the oven & allow to cool slightly while the glaze is made.    
8. In a separate bowl, sift a little confectioners’ sugar to remove any lumps. Add a splash of milk & whisk until combined. Adjust the amount of milk & confectioners sugar until you achieve a thick glaze. Either stripe the glaze across the slightly warm scones, using either a cornet paper piping bag, a zip-top bag with a corner cut off, or a pastry bag.  Alternately, dip the slightly warm scones into the glaze.  Allow the glaze to set & serve. 
9. Store any leftover scones at room temperature in a covered container for up to 2 days, or freeze for longer.  

Note: As far as cinnamon chips go, I usually use Hershey’s brand.  However, they can be a bit difficult to find sometimes...   In some areas, like I discovered in South Carolina, they are only available during the holiday season, so I recommend stocking up.  Or, King Arthur has they available to order from their website (as does Amazon. ).  

This post contains affiliate links.

Blueberry Muffins (Gluten Free)

Blueberry muffins really have not been my favorite muffin variety. Nothing against them, but I usually would rather eat a more exciting muffin.... Actually, raisin bran muffins are typically my favorite.  Or pumpkin. And most often, I’d rather eat a scone than a muffin.  But I recently developed a craving for muffins. Specifically, blueberry muffins.

Blueberries themselves are one of my very favorite fruits.  I’ll sit and eat an entire container of them until they’re gone--perfect summertime meal or snack.  Most often, fresh blueberries get eaten before they can be used in baked goods.  But when I saw blueberries on a fantastic sale at the grocery store, I bought two packages: one for eating and one for muffins.

On my birthday last year, I made confetti cake waffles for breakfast.  While they were amazingly delicious, they also were so rich that the practically put me into a sugar coma for the rest of the day.  This year, instead, I decided to satisfy the craving and make blueberry muffins.

I found found an intriguing recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks (which shall remain nameless).  I was very interested in the recipe because it included a good amount of pecan flour (and I just happened to have pecan flour in the freezer).

I gathered the necessary ingredients (mis-en-place) and mixed the batter.  It seemed quite a bit thicker than I thought a muffin recipe should be.  I double checked the ingredients & no, I hadn’t forgotten anything or mis-measured.  So, I added a splash more milk. I portioned the the still-thick-batter into the lined muffin pan.  I baked the muffins.

When I pulled them from the oven, I could immediately tell there was a flaw in the recipe.  The muffins failed to spread or puff at all.  They looked pretty terrible & they didn’t taste great either.  Fail.  Even sadder, birthday fail :( And, I was STILL craving blueberry muffins!

Since then, I’ve searched through many additional recipes, searching for the perfect “redemption muffin” recipe.  And I think I’ve found it.  A slightly sweet, slightly caky muffin, bursting with blueberries.  The flavor and fragrance from the addition of almond extract is a lovely touch too.

The original recipe includes an almond streusel topping, but I didn’t have enough butter on hand to make it.  Honestly, I didn’t miss the streusel one bit! Shock--usually I’m a huge streusel fan! The muffin was delicious without it. Blueberry muffin redemption has been found!  I may have eaten three of them for breakfast that day....

Blueberry Muffins (adapted to be gluten free) 
adapted from Williams Sonoma Taste
Yields 9 muffins

157 g Gluten Free Flour (I used my favorite blend; or if you’re not GF, use regular AP flour) 
78 g Granulated Sugar
1/4 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Fine Grain Sea Salt
pinch Nutmeg, freshly grated 

4 fl oz Buttermilk
1 ea Eggs
38 g Unsalted Butter, melted & slightly cooled
1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract
scant 1/4 tsp Almond Extract

110 g Blueberries, fresh (plus a little extra, if desired) 

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line a muffin pan with 9 papers. Optional: lightly spray the bottoms of the liners with non-stick spray. 
2. If not already done, heat the butter in the microwave until just barely melted.  Set aside to cool slightly while gathering the remaining ingredients. 
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.  Measure the buttermilk into a liquid measuring cup.  To that cup, add the egg, butter, & extract.  Gently whisk to combine.  
4. Pour the liquid into the dry ingredients.  Stir half-way and add the blueberries.  Very gently stir until combined, trying not to smash the blueberries in the progress.  
5. Use a portion scoop to divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups.  If you notice the bottom of the batter is low on blueberries, throw in a few extras
6. Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin (and not into a blueberry) comes out almost clean with just a few crumbs sticking to it.  
7. Cool slightly and serve.  Store any cooled leftovers in an airtight container for a day, or in the refrigerator for several days (due to the fruit content).  

Note: You can substitute frozen blueberries for the fresh ones.  Just add them to the batter frozen (even frozen they may dye the batter a bit blue) and increase the baking time by a few minutes.  

"Cake and Ice Cream" Cake

My birthday was this past week! 

Every birthday I can remember celebrating with my family has included both cake and ice cream.  Each person’s plate not only included a slice of birthday cake, but also a generous scoop of ice cream.

As a child--and well, as an adult, if I’m really being honest--I had a preferred method for eating that cake and ice cream. I would eat the frosting first, not because I liked the icing best, but because I felt that it’s flavor and texture got in the way of the cake and ice cream.  Next, I would smoosh all the cake with my fork and vigorously mix it with the slightly softened ice cream.   Then, it was perfectly mushy & ready to be eaten.  

I know, it’s a terribly unladylike way to eat cake... (especially when it’s someone else’s birthday).

My mom made all of our birthday cakes when I was a kid (or rather, until I caught the baking bug and asked to make my own cake).  We were allowed to pick out exactly what kind of cake, icing and ice cream we wanted each year.  Though she didn’t exactly approve of my preferred cake-and-ice-cream-eating method, she did take pity on me & create a whole new genre of cake for me: the “cake and ice cream cake.”

She baked a chocolate cake, crumbled it up, mixed the cake crumbs with vanilla ice cream, spread the whole mixture back into a 9x13 pan & froze it until solid.  Then, she still piped “Happy Birthday Laura!” and some decorations on it right before candles were added & the “Happy Birthday” song was sung.  The time out of the freezer & the heat from the candles would soften the cake enough to cut it into squares for serving.  And voila, a perfectly polite way to eat my favorite cake and ice cream mush concoction.

It’s been awhile I’ve last had one of my mom’s cake-and-ice cream cakes.  Most years, I still make my mushy concoction, usually with cake leftovers, but for my birthday this year, I decided to resurrect the cake and ice cream cake.

I made just a couple of changes.... I added a crust, using Glutino gluten free chocolate sandwich cookies because who doesn’t like a chocolate sandwich cookie crust!  The crust also acts as an insulator so that the ice cream doesn’t melt as quickly when put onto the plate, and it makes the cake less messy to serve.

I also folded in a bit of whipped cream to the cake and ice cream filling, just to help stabilize it a little for serving & to keep the cake from melting as quickly.  Finally, instead of decorating the top of the cake with colored icing, I piped a quick shell border with some additional whipped cream.

We invited some friends over for an impromptu cake and (spiked) coffee gathering the night of my birthday. It was fun to tell them the backstory to the cake.  And, none of them could taste that the cake was gluten free!  I’d say it was a great success :)

Cake and Ice Cream Cake
yields 12 servings 

One Bowl Chocolate Cake (Gluten Free Version) 
makes one 8x8 pan (or 12 cupcakes)
adapted from Martha Stewart 

1.15 oz Cocoa Powder, sifted
3.2 oz AP Flour (I used Jeanne’s Gluten Free AP Mix)
5.25 oz Granulated Sugar
3/4 t Baking Soda
3/4 t Baking Powder
1/2 t Sea Salt

3 fl oz Buttermilk
1 large Egg
1.5 Tbl (21 g) Vegetable Oil
1/2 t Vanilla Extract
3 fl oz Water (or substitute cold coffee) 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Generously spray an 8x8 baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside.   
2. In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the sifted cocoa powder, flour, granulated sugar, soda, powder, and salt.  
3. Add the buttermilk, egg, vegetable oil, and vanilla to a 2 cup-liquid measuring cup.  Gently break up the egg & combine the ingredients with a small whisk or a fork.  
4. Pour the buttermilk, egg, oil, vanilla mixture to the dry ingredients.  Measure the water into the just used liquid measuring cup (to make sure everything is used) and also pour that into the dry ingredients.  
5. Whisk everything, just until combined.  Pour into the prepared pan. 
6. Bake until a tooth pick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean (mine baked in a metal dish took approximately 25 minutes).  
7. Allow to cool completely.  If not using immediately, wrap the cooled cake & store at room temperature. Cake may be made up to two days in advance.  

Crust
17 ea/8.7 oz Chocolate Sandwich Cookies (I used one package, minus 4 of Glutino cookies) 
2 oz/half a stick Unsalted Butter

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. 
2. In a food processor, blitz the cookies until they are finely ground. 
3. Microwave the butter until it is just barely melted.
4. Stir together the melted butter with the cookie crumbs until the crumbs are all coated with butter. 
5. Press the mixture into a 9” springform pan. Bake at 350 for 5 minutes.  
6. Allow to cool completely then place in the freezer for 10 minutes to give it an extra chill.  

Assembly
1 recipe Chocolate Cake
16 oz half of a half gallon Vanilla Bean Ice Cream (you could make your own, if you like) 
12 oz heavy Cream
3 Tbl Granulated Sugar
1 Tbl Vanilla Extract
1 Prepared Crust

1. In a large bowl, crumble the baked, cooled chocolate cake until the cake is all crumbs.  
2. Remove the ice cream from the freezer & allow to soften slightly.  (I scoop the ice cream directly into the bowl where the cake is & allow it to soften there.)
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla.  Whip on high speed until the cream forms medium-stiff peaks.  Remove 1/3 of the whipped cream & store in the refrigerator.
4. Use a spatula to combine the cake & softened ice cream.  Fold in the whipped cream & stir until just combined.  The more stirring that happens, the more brown the mixture will become & the less contrast in color there will be between the dark colored cake and the light colored ice cream/whipped cream.  
5. Pour the filling into the cold prepared crust.  Place the entire pan into the freezer and freeze for 2 hours.  After 2 hours, wrap the pan well with plastic wrap & return to the freezer for at least 12 hours.  
6. When ready to serve, allow to sit at room temperature for a couple of minutes before removing the outer portion of the springform pan.  Pipe a border around the edge of the cake using the reserved whipped cream.  Use a hot knife to cut into slices & serve immediately.  Store any leftovers, well wrapped, in the freezer.  

Waffle Weekend: Cornmeal Waffles with Blueberry Nectarine Maple Compote

In a perfect world, every Saturday would allow for sleeping in and eating waffles for brunch.  But let’s be honest, those weekends don’t regularly happen.

Case in point, this past weekend. Just because we couldn’t have a leisurely brunch did not mean waffles should be entirely forgotten.  Instead, we had to change our thinking slightly.  

Waffles are equally delicious in the evening as they are for breakfast, especially this cornmeal version that is reminiscent of a cornbread/waffle hybrid.  Add a side of crunch, oven cooked bacon (not pictured, as it was still baking during these photos) and some warm Blueberry Nectarine Maple Compote & we had the perfect Saturday supper.  

p.s. Don’t you just love these heart-shaped waffles? One of the many highlights of this housesitting adventure has been utilizing their adorable waffle iron.

Blueberry Nectarine Maple Compote
adapted from Serious Eats

Note: I like to start the compote first so that it can be simmering while I prepare & cook the waffles.  

1c Fresh Blueberries
1/4 c Maple Syrup (the real stuff, NOT pancake syrup) 
1 1/2 tsp Lemon Juice
1/4 c Water
1/2 c Brown Sugar
1 nectarine, peeled & sliced into thin wedges
1/4 tsp Cinnamon

1. In a small stainless steel sauce pan, combine the blueberries, maple syrup, lemon juice and water.  Bring to a boil over medium high heat, then reduce the heat to simmer & cook for 5 minutes.  Stir occasionally.
2. Add the brown sugar & nectarine to the pot. Simmer an additional 30 minutes, stirring as needed. 
3. Remove from the heat & add the cinnamon.  Serve warm. Store any leftovers for up to 1 month in the refrigerator. 

Cornmeal Waffles

adapted from Williams-Sonoma 

Note: Because I was low on ingredients and was only cooking for 2, I made a half recipe. But if you are planning to serve more than 2 people, I'd highly recommend doubling the recipe.  

1/2 c Flour (I used Jeanne’s AP Gluten Free Mix)

1/2 c Cornmeal

1 tsp Baking Powder

1/4 tsp Baking Soda

1/8 tsp Salt

1 c Buttermilk (I didn’t have enough, so I used some regular milk & mixed a little lemon juice into it)

1 egg

2 Tbl Maple Syrup (the real stuff, NOT pancake syrup)

2 Tbl Vegetable Oil, plus more for the waffle iron  

1. Preheat the waffle iron to a low setting.  
2. In a liquid measuring cup, if making your own buttermilk, mix together the regular milk with a tsp of lemon juice & set aside. 
3. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, cornmeal, baking powder, soda & salt).  
4. Add the remaining ingredients to the liquid measuring cup & whisk together.  
5. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients & stir just until combined.  
6. Portion the prepared batter onto the greased, hot waffle iron & cook according to the manufacturer’s instructions.  Place the finished waffles in a single layer onto a baking rack-lined sheet pan & place into a 250 F oven to keep crisp until ready to serve.